The office was a tomb of shadows, the faint red glow of the exit sign barely piercing the darkness. Jin Yeong and the survivors stood frozen, their breaths shallow, their bodies pressed against the wreckage of shattered desks and twisted metal. The air was thick, heavy with the stench of blood and something fouler, and every sound felt like a betrayal. The thing in the shadows was still there, its presence a weight that crushed the air from their lungs. Its wet, dragging steps had stopped, but Jin knew it was listening, waiting for them to make a mistake.
They'd been moving toward the exit, silent as ghosts, when Min Jae-Wo, Echo—stumbled, his legs buckling under him. Jin's arm shot out, catching him before he hit the floor, the steel pipe in his other hand clanging softly against a broken chair. The sound was faint, but it felt like a gunshot in the suffocating quiet. The group froze, their eyes wide, darting toward the shadows where the creature lurked.
